What does it mean to dream about bones? |

The bones, from a symbolic point of view, easily refer to death. However, it is important to highlight that they also help us to recover our origins and the events that brought us here, since they carry with them important information about the entire course of life on earth.

Dream interpretation helps in self-knowledge and decision-making

The first step in interpreting a dream is to become familiar with the symbols contained in it and their meanings. The second step is to know that dreams always concern the dreamer, his personality characteristics and the attitudes he takes and that must be observed. Having done this, it is possible to use dreams as an important tool for self-knowledge and guidance in life.

Due to the long period they take to deteriorate – especially when well preserved, as with fossils of dinosaurs and civilizations prior to ours –, through them it is possible to understand phenomena that occurred long before us, as translated by archaeologists, biologists and historians .

Not by chance, much of human and animal history is known through bones. From bones found in caves and ancient cemeteries, for example, it is possible to reconstruct a time that was apparently lost.

The most common images that come to mind when we think of bones are perhaps Hamlet’s skull and/or the bones that the hominid discovers as a tool in “2001: A Space Odyssey” (as shown in the photo on the right). However, the symbolism of dreams can have many variations, such as human bones, animal bones, broken bones and buried bones. It will be up to the dreamer to contextualize and observe the symbol as it appears.

symbology of bones

Bones are the most rigid part of the organisms that have them. In most vertebrate animals, the skeleton is responsible for structure, support and movement, together with ligaments, tendons and muscles. In addition, some bones also have a protective function.

In most vertebrate animals, the skeleton is responsible for structure, support and movement, together with ligaments, tendons and muscles. In addition, some bones also have a protective function.

This is the case of the thoracic cage and the cranial cavity, which house very sensitive and important organs. However, it is worth mentioning that many diseases can affect the bones, and such details can also appear in dreams. They will evoke different symbolisms. For example: deformed bones, very fragile and brittle bones, fractures, osteoarthritis, tumors, etc.

Culturally, the Day of the Dead in Mexico and the popular Halloween in the United States use bones among other objects to celebrate the dead and also mortality itself and the sense of finitude in their parties. On the pirate flag and on poison packaging, skulls and crossbones attest to danger and evoke the need for caution and precaution.

Questions to better understand your dream

Amplifying a dream consists of exploring the symbolism of what the unconscious has chosen to represent a psychic situation for us. In this sense, the questions we ask for the dream allow us to go deeper into the meaning that the symbol has for each one individually. They facilitate self-reflection and encourage personal associations with the dreamer’s own experiences.

First step: reflect on the context of the dream

What types of bones appear in the dream? Are they human bones, animal bones? Are they complete skeletons or just a few bones? Are these bones broken, whole, deformed? In what context does the symbol appear? Are they buried, apparent in a fracture, hanging?

Second step: reflect on what the unconscious may be signaling

Do I know my own story? Do I access deeper information about my own psychic structure? What of past events still lingers in me? How do I deal with these reminiscences? Do I feel structured in life and in my decisions or am I fragile and everything can collapse at any moment? Am I too rigid or do I become flexible in the face of events? Am I able to revere death or am I too afraid of my finitude ?

Possible applications

Exposed fracture

dream of a exposed fracture it can put the dreamer in touch with aspects of himself that need to be looked at and that, even if they bring hidden pain, must receive attention and care.

buried bones

the dream with buried bones that are discovered in an excavation can indicate a movement of self-discovery, in which the dreamer connects with forgotten and deeper aspects of the personality that become more evident.

bones as tools

Using bones as a tool in a dream can point to both creative use of internal resources and outdated methods, which need updating, depending on the context.

animal bones

animal bones in dreams can indicate a certain devitalization of instincts or disconnection with life itself.

Our experts

– Thais Khoury holds a degree in Psychology from Universidade Paulista, with a postgraduate degree in Analytical Psychology. She uses dream interpretation, calatonia and creative expression in her sessions.

– Yubertson Mirandagraduated in Philosophy from PUC-MG, is a symbologist, numerologist, astrologer and tarot reader.